Bengaluru Girl Becomes the First Indian to Win World Title in International Motor Sports
Aishwarya Pissay, a 23-year-old biker has created history. Breaking the stereotype that motorcycling is the sport for men, this Bengaluru-based rally racer clinched the world title at the FIM World Cup in junior category, after beating Portugal’s Rita Vieira in the final. The event took place in Hungary, and was conducted by the International Motorcycling Federation.
Pissay finished with a total score of 65 points, which was four points higher than the runner-up. She won the first round of the rally in Dubai. However, she was placed third in the Portugal Baja, fifth in Spain, and fourth in Hungary. Even so, she bounced back to win the title; becoming the first Indian to win a world title in the Baja Argon Rally.
It is a moment of pride for all of us, as a nation. It is even more overwhelming to know that Aishwarya suffered with career-threatening injuries in Spanish Baja last year, and yet, she emerged as the winner this year.
In 2017, seven crews and a steel plate were put in Aishwarya’s collar bone to fix it. She was also restricted to participate in another race for about two months.
“I had a race in just five days. Nothing was going to stop me,” says the champion. After five days, we got the news that this amazing woman has not only won the world title, but has also become the first Indian ever to win it.
In 2018, she again suffered some major injuries around her pancreas due to a fall. She had to go through a surgery, and stayed in hospital for two months. However, she knew she had to get up and race and she did.
“It was a tough phase of my life, but I believed in myself and was determined to get back on the bike which I did after nearly six months. So, winning the World Cup is huge for me and I will look to better my performance having gained this experience. I also hope I will be able to get more sponsors on board and eventually realize my dream of participating in and finishing the Dakar Rally (considered World’s most difficult cross-country race). In any case, I will pursue that dream no matter what,” she shared her feelings with the world after winning the event.
It has been five years since she started riding bikes professionally, and Aishwarya is proud of what she does. It began with weekend rides with her friends, when Pissay realized her love for biking. In 2015, she started her training in the Apex Racing Academy in Coimbatore.
Since motorcycles and racing is considered to be a ‘man’s thing, Aishwarya came across many women during her training who wanted to keep it as a hobby, not profession. However, our star champion had something totally opposite in her mind.
With her strong determination and mental strength, Aishwarya decided to turn her passion into profession and rest, as they say, was history.
Wishes are pouring for this champion of ours from all over the world. We’d like to wish her many congratulations for her extraordinary achievement as well.
